Needles and Webs
by TheSingingSky
Summary: In which Natasha has an unusual hobby and everyone else finds out. (It's all Clint's fault.)


This was inspired by nb41's _The Health Benefits of Knitting_.

When Steve walked into the kitchen in the morning, he was not expecting what he saw. It looked like yarn shop had thrown up int he room. A bundle of sky blue yarn was draned over the back of Thor's chair, neon yellow in mug that read _For Science!_ (Tony's gift to Bruce), and blood red covering the coffe machine.

And in the middle of the wreckage sat Natasha Romanoff, a pair of knitting needles in her hands and something long piled in her lap.

"What's this?" Steve said, trying and failing to keep his voice neutral.

"Morning, Captian," Natasha said without looking up.

"Nat's knitting," Bruce said. Steve found him leaning against the kitchen counter with a mug in his hand and a pile of pewter gray yarn on his head. "Don't ask," he repiled to Steve's look.

"Um, what is she knitting?"

"A scarf," Natasha answered, holding up the something long, which turned into a green and purple scarf. A very chunky one.

"It looks ... warm," Steve answered after a few seconds.

"They are." Clint walked in, something purple circling his neck. It took Steve a second to recognize it as one of Natasha's scarves.

"Thi is for Bruce," Nat said, gesturing to the material in her lap.

Bruce just sipped his coffe and wisely said nothing.

"I could make a scarf for you too," she told Steve, a glint in her eye.

He shook his head. "Oh, you shouldn't. I'm sure I'll survive without one."

"Too late," she said, almost cackling. "Morning, Tony," Bruce said loudly, cutting off any attempt Steve would've made to stop the oncoming scarf storm Natasha's eyes promised.

Tony stood at the kitchen entrance, blearly staring at the multicolored piles of yarn turning the kitchen into a rainbow.

"I think he needs coffee," Nat said.

Clint uncovered the coffe machine, dumped the yellow out of the science mug, and poured a cup. Tony snatched it from his grasp and downed the coffee in a single gulp, ignoring the heat.

"What the hell is going on?" he asked while Clint refilled the mug.

"Tasha's knitting a scarf for Bruce," the archer explained.

Tony peered at Natasha. "You knit?"

She raised an eyebrow dangerously. "I'm not allowed to have a hobby?"

Steve jumped in. "No, it's not that. We just didn't expect your hobby to be... knitting." He waved his hand at the yarn.

"It's Clint's fault."

"It always is," Clint agreed, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"He almost got us killed on a mission-"

"When a man has to sneeze, he has to sneeze."

"-and I was in a compromising position of having no weapons on me-"

"Which was weird. I thought she was an alien or something."

"So I grabbed the first things I saw, which happened to be knitting needles."

"They make very good makeshift knives. You just have to stab, not cut," Clint explained.

"Clint, stop interuptting," Nat said.

"Yes, ma'am," the archer repiled, grinning at her.

She rolled her eyes and Bruce fought a smile of his own. "As I was saying," she continued, "When we finished the mission, Coulson and Clint decided that we all should remember my fighting skills. So they went and bought me yarn and needles."

"And she did nothing with them for the longest time," Clint added. "Until we caught a break between missions and I forced her to learn how to knit. And that's when she made my scarf."

There was silence as Tony sipped his coffee and Nat continued knitting.

"You should make Tony a scarf," Bruce suggested.

Tony paused in his drinking and glared at Bruce while Natasha smiled.

"That's a great idea," she said. "Then he can wear it with his suit."

"Natashalie, I have a reputation to maintain. I cannot wear a scarf with my suit," Tony said.

"Why not?" Clint asked. "I wear my scarf most of the time on missions. You never know when it's gonna be cold."

Tony paused, regarding Clint and Natasha.

"You're wearing the scarf," Bruce said.

"No, Bruce. Not you too," Tony whined.

"Make it extra long," Steve told Natasha.

"I hate you all," Tony said, walking out the kitchen with the coffee pot.

The newspapers a week later had a headline reading, "_Tony Stark Wears A Scarf With His Armor_."


End file.
